Few people can call themselves the early pioneers of game development, but our veteran Mohamed Gambouz has been with Ubisoft since the days of Rayman 3 and Prince of Persia. He’s seen the development of several Assassin’s Creed games and has been instrumental to the success of the franchise. He started off as an artist in Ubisoft Montreal and 21 years later, he’s moved to Singapore and is now an Art and World Director at Ubisoft Singapore. We sit down with him to find out what inspires him, what he loves about his work and what motivates him to stay with Ubisoft.
What are some of the things a World Director does day to day?
I’m responsible for defining and communicating the high level art direction, so my daily tasks involve ensuring that our teams have the creative conditions and environment to implement that direction. This means providing the team with necessary guidance and advice to achieve it, and possibly making adjustments to accommodate technical or production limitations. I’m always on the lookout for new ideas from the team that may enrich the final output.
You’ve worked on a many impressive projects throughout the years! What made you stay with Ubisoft all this time?
I’ve been at Ubisoft for 21 years now! The company’s drive to create, innovate and its cultural diversity are extremely important to me. It's given me great reasons to stay for such a long period of time. I really think I’ve found the perfect environment to be part of a wide range of interesting projects of different sizes, styles and genres. Also, I’ve got the chance to work in great studios with very talented people across the globe.
What are some of your most exciting challenges at work?
I love finding the best ways to inspire our teams. To me, this means communicating artistic intentions in a clear and engaging manner, so that everyone is positive, excited and passionate about the creation process. It’s always amazing to see people take ownership of the projects and dedicate themselves to their creative process.
"It’s always amazing to see people take ownership of the projects and dedicate themselves to their creative process."
What type of roles does the art team comprise of? What does each role do?
We have concept, world art, characters, assets, specialists and ship artists.
Concept Artists: They create mood pieces that inspire our team to come up with ideas and provide solid references to execute and build visuals.
World Artists: They work closely with world designers to create a coherent and believable world. They mold the terrain and design vegetation scatter recipes. They may also design characters, environment props, architecture, weapons, cosmetics and organic assets.
Lighting, Texture, VFX and Texture Artists: They support and refine the work of other artists, helping our content reach top-notch quality.
What are the general hard and soft skills needed to get & do well in a job in the art team?
Besides having a solid understanding of artistic fundamentals (composition, color, light...etc), you’ve also got to be adaptable. This industry is constantly seeing rapidly-evolving tools and processes. But this also allows us new ways to express our creativity and realize our artistic potential.
Why is Ubisoft Singapore a great place to pursue an artistic career?
Ubisoft Singapore is a highly talented studio and has great expertise in many areas of game development. Our art teams have an excellent reputation for delivering top-notch visuals in big AAA games.
Our developers aren’t just talented, they have incredible passion drive and ambition too. Everyone here wants to create the best content possible and we’re highly supportive of each other. It’s a very friendly and collaborative environment where we’re eager to share knowledge and help each other out. I’m very fortunate to be part of this studio.
"Our developers aren’t just talented, they have incredible passion drive and ambition too. Everyone here wants to create the best content possible and we’re highly supportive of each other. It’s a very friendly and collaborative environment where we’re eager to share knowledge and help each other out."
Does the Ubisoft Singapore art team sound like your ideal place to grow and uncover your true creative potential? Here’s your chance to work on AAA blockbusters and make an impact on millions of players. Join us today!